


I Told You So

by JustMakeLeftTurns



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Don't copy to another site, Dysfunctional Family, Family, Five just wants his family to live, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Light Angst, No Incest, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, POV Second Person, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Number Five | The Boy, Retelling, Saving the World, Sort Of, The Umbrella Academy (TV) Season 2 Spoilers, other characters are only mentioned, season 2 from Five's perspective basically, well it's implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26312338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustMakeLeftTurns/pseuds/JustMakeLeftTurns
Summary: You land in a time that should never have happened, with a war on land that should never have begun. You freeze for a moment, unsure where to go, what to do- where are the others where are they where where whereAnd then there they are- but not quite right- things are different- hair longer than it should be, a display of powers that haven’t been reached yet- but still you’re frozen, unsure what to do, and that’s when Hazel tells you there are nukes they’re coming they’re going to kill you they’re going to kill your family no not again no no no--OR: Five just wants his family to live. He seems to be the only one who cares.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 60





	I Told You So

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I really, really felt for Five this season. He’s trying to save his family but they don’t cooperate. Biggest inspiration points: end of episode one with Luther and Five, and the scene where Vanya drives away from Five in episode four (mostly the latter scene, I’m not sure if it’s just me but Five sounds almost betrayed or hurt).
> 
> Didn’t include every single character because it just didn’t fit with the flow. Some scenes may be inaccurate- I’m going off of memory and wikipedia summaries.

You land in a time that should never have happened, with a war on land that should never have begun. You freeze for a moment, unsure where to go, what to do _where are the others where are they where where where_

And then there they are- but not quite right- things are different- hair longer than it should be, a display of powers that haven’t been reached yet- but still you’re frozen, unsure what to do, and that’s when Hazel tells you there are nukes _they’re coming they’re going to kill you they’re going to kill your family no not again no no no_

And then you’ve been sent back ten days, only ten days, to save _your family_ the world again, and then Hazel’s dead and you’re running and _focus, focus, where are they_ You need their help, you’ve learned this time- _I told you so._

\---

Diego has lost it, but he’s there, he’s across the table, and you hide the rush of relief you feel. The relief quickly is overcome by cold fear when he realizes the others never found each other, that they’re still lost, _what if you can’t find them what if they die anyway_ \- “We’ll find them…”

You tell Diego about this new apocalypse, and want to knock the table right into him when he doesn’t believe you. The first time you understand, but this time is different, this time the others should listen, but Diego is focused on saving the president-

You know it’s a lost cause, any plans you’d had of helping Diego escape are gone. It’s better to keep him here, out of the way to not cause trouble, and easily accessible when you figure out a way to either stop this new apocalypse or get back home whichever comes first. You appear unphased at Diego’s thrashing as he’s given a sedative, but your jaw clenches as tightly as your fists when you leave the building.

\---

Luther is here, you’ve found him, and you think for a few moments that it’ll be okay. Because now you’ve got someone on your side, you think, give the man a mission and he’ll follow it through. But things have changed, and although this brother believes you- “I don’t give a shit.”

You try to reason with him, argue with him, but it all goes in one ear and out the other. You watch as another brother leaves. You continue your search for your siblings. Someone will listen, someone will help, someone will get the family back together _please please I can’t watch you all die again_

\---

Diego and some other girl have escaped the asylum and you need to keep an eye on your brother, make sure he doesn’t mess up the timeline, make sure you can reach him if things go bad. Your instincts tell you not to trust this girl; she seems like a nutcase but has Diego wrapped around her finger.

\---

You’re trying to find your father, feel your pounding heart and turning stomach while standing at the entrance to the building. You can already hear his voice in your head _I told you so I told you so I told you so_ _you’re scared you don’t want to see him_

And then there’s Pogo- _I miss you I’m sorry I’m sorry_ \- you crouch down, even knowing that he is still young, but you want to touch and feel _it’s been too long_ and then suddenly there’s pain pain _pain in both mind and body_

You lose track of Diego, panic for a while _don’t be dead don’t be dead don’t be dead_ only for the crazy girl to bring your bleeding brother back to Elliot’s _no no no nonononono_ -

Diego lives.

You trust the girl even less.

\---

Vanya goes as well as can be expected. Amnesia wasn’t something you accounted for but you work it in your favor; tell her enough to get her hooked but not enough to scare her off ~~or set her off~~. You hesitate when she asks what caused the first apocalypse, tell her a half-truth- you don’t want to upset her, she’s the only sibling who listened, the only one who might help, _the one you miss the most_ -

And then it falls apart because Luther is an idiot. You don’t realize the impact his conversation with her has until Vanya is heading to her car, and then your heart is pounding and you try to stop her-

She’s going to drive away, no, she can’t drive away- “You’re our _sister_ ”- _Doesn’t that matter?_ You hear the words she says, can only feel frustration and a hint of regret as she drives away.

\---

The girl saves you and not Diego. She fights like the Commission. You hate her for that. You hate that she made your brother fall in love with her.

You hate your father when he turns away from you. _I told you so_.

\---

Elliot’s dead. You clench your jaw.

You need to get your family out of this timeline. _I can’t watch you die and die and die and die_

\---

Kill the Board? Piece of cake.

\---

Ninety minutes?

You can’t focus. You’re wasting time _go go GO_ but you’re in shock but you should have expected this _I told you so_. You have half a mind to steal that fish out of the Handler’s hand and shoving it down her throat.

You don’t have time. Your breathing’s picked up but you can’t let your mind fog up you need to focus. It’s with a murky mind you turn to find your siblings _not enough time not enough not enough_

\---

You all split up to gather everyone in one place.

You already know it’s hopeless.

\---

Vanya’s angry _she should be you stranded her here_ and then her eyes are glowing and you have to push down your fear in favor of standing up to her. She has to understand, _why doesn’t she understand her home isn’t here come on hurry hurry_

She leaves to say goodbye. You feel she already has.

\---

It’s you and Luther and Klaus _where are the others where are they where are they we don’t have time-_

You’re out of time. There’s no question, no consideration, when the briefcase is thrown away before it blips you _alone alone always alone no no why why why_ into 2019.

\---

You decide to do something stupid because the rest of your family is.

You need to get them out.

You need to find yourself.

\---

It goes wrong, as you expected, but you also aren’t thinking as clearly as you know you should be and neither is your younger self.

You think Luther will kill you and you try to reason with him using his need to make a father-figure proud. You think you get through to him.

You think you were wrong as you stare down the gun Luther points at you. You feel fear. And then suddenly your younger self is on the ground and there’s no time to calm down and you’re still paranoid but you need to open that goddamn portal to 2019-

Your younger self is sent through. So is half the briefcase. You see it before Luther does and turn around, deflating. You’re out of ideas. You don’t know what to do. _I told you so_.

\---

At Elliot’s place, you all finally regroup _together together please can we just stay together_ and you feel cold horror and shock when Diego announces he was taken by the Commission, had been headhunted- he’s lucky he got out- what if he didn’t and you never saw him again- or you turned into his mission, would he kill you? _No more, stay away from the others it’s not them that’s wanted, leave them alone_

\---

They’re _dead dead dead deaddeaddeaddead_

You lie on your back, gunshot wounds oozing blood, see the still bodies of your family _again again no please not again_ and you think this is it, but at least you will die with them-

But you have to at least try to save them, one last time, you have a chance-

Rewind the last minute-

Saved.

You hold back your emotions. There will be time for that later.

\---

Back to 2019. Apocalypse averted- both of them. You feel relief, almost want to cry with how stressful the past couple weeks have been _safe safe you’re safe they’re safe it’s okay now it’s all going to be okay now-_

And then suddenly- “Sparrow Academy” and someone who looks like Ben but isn’t Ben but it is Ben shows up, no recognition on his face, and your heart sinks again, lower and lower and lower because haven’t you done enough? Why isn’t it enough? Let your family live, let them be happy, please, please, _please_ -

And even as your family stares at the Ben-who-never-died, your father’s voice echoes, over and over and over and over in your mind.

_I told you so_.


End file.
